This was a rare end of day workout for me. Have not done anything since Friday and have really been itching to get a workout in. Foot is still pretty iffy from last Friday so I will be sticking to the bike for a few more days. Have the Dallas half marathon in a few weeks and can't afford to have an injury. I need more work on the bike anyway. This was a great ride and I managed to stay in the aero position up to approximately the 10 mile mark. A first for me as either my back or shoulders have me sitting up usually closer to 3-4 miles in. It has been something I have been wanting to get better at and this ride was great practice. I suspect a proper bike fit would help this goal too, but that will have to wait a little bit. Finding the time and money to go down and get this done is a challenge. There is no place to get a bike fit near where I live so it would require a trip to Dallas. With the holidays coming up, this will likely have to wait until at least January.

Had what felt like the beginnings of a head cold, but forced myself out of bed at 4 a.m. Took awhile to get the blood flowing, but got out on the track and started what I was hoping would be a long run. I really did not feel up to it though. I was however determined to put in a strong effort since I had missed the last few days. When I started it was dark, cold, and windy. Add that to the fact that I wasn't feeling great and I just wanted to get this thing done.

I started running without any kind of a stretch or warm up. As usual, after about half a mile the body started waking up and I could tell it wasn't going to be as bad a run as I was expecting. After 3 miles I was feeling really good and decided I would make this a road run and left the track. I went across the entire town that I live in (Honey Grove, TX) and a few miles outside of town to what is known as the "2 mile turn." This run went from complete darkness to complete light as I watched the sun come up over the various fields and wooded areas outside of town. I returned to the school track right around ten miles and decided to put in a couple of more, shooting for 12 miles. I wanted to get close to the 13.2 miles I would be running next weekend. More to put my mind at ease about the distance than anything. Returning to the track at 10 miles I was a little tired, but very confident I could get two more miles in. I had taken an energy gel at 9 miles so this might have had something to do with it.

All told, I was very happy with this run. I was concerned about being able to run the half marathon and those fears have been dismissed. I covered this run without stopping and without taking on any water; something that I will have available to me in the race. I will begin to taper into the rest of this week and won't do any running after Thursday. What I do between now and then I don't have a plan for, but it won't be anything crazy.

O.K. Not exactly at the top of my game right now. First, I planned to get up early and get a long run in before church. That didn't happen and I slept in. So, I decided I would take the kids down to the school and let them play on the playground while I was running, but that didn't work out either. Getting a little frustrated with myself and life in general. Need to hit a run tomorrow, regardless!

My phone said it was 65 degrees out this morning. It had been raining the last two days so I thought I would get out for a run. Not sure what the temperature really was, but it was cold. Could barely feel my hands by the end of this run. Will either need to move my runs inside soon or get some warmer running clothes. Was in shorts and a sweatshirt this morning. Either way I count it as a victory. Got my but up out of bed and out on the track!

Got up and it was raining solidly. Decided to head to the school and try out the treadmill. It is old and in rough shape. Was able to get it working for about 200 yards and then it died. Already at the gym I decided to get some work in with the weights. Worked my shoulders, chest, arms, stomach and back. Probably should be doing more of this type of workout, but with such a focus on the run heading into the winter, I don't have a lot of time for anything else.